Walking and Biking the Beat: Operationalizing Proactive Community Engagement

Community-oriented policing (COP) has long been hailed as an approach to enhancing community trust in police, addressing community problems proactively rather than reactively, and fostering police-community engagement. However, some law enforcement agencies experience difficulty in translating the broad philosophy of COP into a practical and actionable strategy. Agencies cannot expect to fulfill COP objectives without a structured plan and accountability for achieving this goal. Therefore, drawing on existing themes for operationalizing proactive community engagement, this paper brings current research and best practices together to present a set of evidence-based strategies for COP foot and bike patrols. We highlight relevant considerations and tips that may be underscored in the minutiae of implementation within the COP foot and bike patrol process, yet remain critical to success. By operationalizing COP foot and bike patrols at several stages, the authors aim to assist agencies in striving for more than just symbolic or temporary approaches to COP.